Breathe Deep the Gathering Storm
by Kokoyumi
Summary: Eight gyms down. All that's left is the tournament and the championship, but is that all there is to the Pokemon world? The only thing to strive for?  Warning: Very loosely based off of the story of Platinum, not a Journey, and contains violence later on.


Disclaimer: Pokémon is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri. I am not profiting from this story in any way, nor do I make any claims to the ownership of Pokémon.

* * *

"Torterra, use Earthquake!" Christian shouted out instantly, noting how slow Volkner's Electivire seemed after its battle with his Garchomp. Volkner immediately ordered Electivire to jump and dodge the attack, but it reacted a fraction too slow and was caught by the immense shaking of the ground the move caused. While the Electivire attempted to regain its balance after the quake, Christian again ordered Torterra to attack without restraint, "Razor Leaf, quickly!"

Volkner, for all his skill, sensed impending doom. Torterra's immense type advantage against his Electivire was standing in the way of everything his Electivire could throw at it, even if it knew many non-electric moves. "I surrender, continuing this match is pointless," He declared wearily, returning his Electivire to its Poké Ball.

"With Volkner's surrender, the challenger, Christian Horn of Twinleaf Town is the winner!" The referee declared after confirming that Volkner had, indeed, surrendered the match.

"Well, that's…very surprising," Christian muttered to himself. He hadn't expected surrender, much less victory at all, in this match. He knew he had a type advantage, but not the strength needed to win. It seemed he'd either gotten lucky or Volkner was very distracted. He wasn't sure, but he was willing to go with luck if it was feeling particularly nice to him today. "Return, great job." This he directed at Torterra, who looked insufferably pleased with itself for having beaten such a strong opponent. "Alright, Volkner, I admit it, you really shocked me at the end," Christian said, seeing Volkner approach him with a slight smile on his usually serious face.

Volkner took a moment to observe the young trainer before saying anything; slightly burnt from his time in Sunyshore, brown hair in disarray from the battle, and stormy gray eyes that seemed ready to electrify anything that got in their way. "Knew I'd get you at least once," Volkner returned, before becoming serious again. "As you have won this gym battle, in official capacity as the Gym Leader under Pokémon League rules, I am required to give you this Gym Badge signifying that you have beaten the Sunyshore City Gym." He reached into one of his coat pockets and produced a small, gleaming badge. "The Beacon Badge. Congratulations, Christian."

"Thank you, Leader Volkner," Christian replied, making a small bow as he accepted the badge. "It was a pleasure battling you, we'll have to do it again some time."

"I'll have something for your Torterra next time," Volkner replied, mind already on other matters. "And now I must depart for a lovely meeting with the other Gym Leaders for the annual regional conference." He departed instantly after that, not even giving time for Christian to bid him farewell.

"Well, that was nice," Christian said to the empty air as he departed the gym. Volkner was nowhere in sight, and he had nothing to keep him here.

"Hey, Christian, I'm going to get you for that last battle!" Someone shouted out behind him as he meandered along down the street.

"Who-," Christian began, turning around to see who was shouting at him like a lunatic in the street, a slightly younger, fair-skinned boy waving at him, his bag swinging around haphazardly, "-oh, hello, Roy." Christian internally sighed as his self-proclaimed rival, a bare fifteen, marched up to him like a soldier on a mission. _He's still wearing that hideous red and black striped…thing he calls a shirt_, _not to mention that yellow jacket,_ Christian thought to himself, a strained smile on his face. _And his hair is still straight as ever_, Christian noted of Roy's dark black hair that seemed to have the mysterious property of always being straightened and shining.

"Yes, hello to you, too!" Roy replied, grinning widely. "Anyways, there's some stuff I wanted to talk to you about, walk with me?" He all but ordered for Christian to follow, snagging Christian's arm as he began walking down the road at a hurried pace.

_Why in Sinnoh do I put up with this idiot?_ Christian thought somewhat angrily as Roy rapidly belted out several, somewhat, interesting things like how to get to Suzuran Island, how his mother was doing, and how he had beaten Volkner ages ago and that Christian was just too slow! "Thank you for informing me of all this, Roy," Christian managed to grit out as he was dragged away from the Pokémon Center after healing his Pokémon. "But where are we going?" He asked as he reluctantly followed Roy.

"Don't worry, it's just up here!" Roy shouted out, waving toward what seemed to be a…helicopter pad, with a helicopter landing on it. "Quick charter flights to Suzuran Island from the Sunyshore Touring Corp. Expensive, but ever so much better than making your way there by means of Pokémon and your own feet."

"This is our other guest, Lieutenant March," He made a quick gesture toward a man dressed in a rumpled flight suit then pointed to Christian. "Lieutenant March, this is Christian, he would like to accompany us on the route to the Pokémon League."

"This is him, is it?" March asked, an eyebrow rising at Christian's dress. _Lad seems a bit short of marbles, dressing like that_, he thought. Of course someone dressed as Christian was would give that impression every once in a while. His clothes were a normal set of black and blue shirt and pants combo, heavy fabric for the cold climate, but the brighter blue overcoat that covered them was the odd one, especially with the Gyarados coiled on the back. "Well, welcome aboard, Mister Christian. It's almost time to fly, are you ready?"

"What?" Christian replied blankly, somewhat confused by the sudden turn of events.

"Of course he's ready!" Roy replied, hushing Christian noisily as he started to object. "Ready to go whenever you are, Lieutenant!"

"Then these two gentlemen will show you aboard," Lieutenant March replied, already moving on to deal with another matter and to make sure everyone was clear of the take-off area.

"Ever flown before, sir?" One of the men asked Christian. Stevenson was printed in bold, capital letters on the right breast of the flight jacket of the person addressing him.

"No, sir, Mr. Stevenson, not in a helicopter before," Christian replied. He _really_ didn't want to go flying off willy-nilly to Suzuran Island. He had wanted to spend some time around the town and do a little, okay, a lot, of training before he even got near Suzuran Island, but Roy had paid for everything and seemed to have gone to an immense amount of trouble to include him.

"Eh, well, it's not going to be a joy ride like a Pokémon or a plane, but we'll get you there faster than you could get yourself there, sir. We specialize in quick, efficient flights." Stevenson was determined to impress the young man to see if he could make him a repeat customer. "Okay, just a few things before we get you on board," Stevenson said as he lead Christian to the powered-down helicopter after the safe signal came from both the pilot and co-pilot. "You'll have to wear a goofy looking helmet and read this safety manual, and sign this waiver." He handed the two papers to Christian on a clip-board with a pen in hand. "Sign here and here," he said, pointing to two lines requiring Christian's signature.

"Standard disclaimer," Christian murmured, scanning over the short, simple sheet. Apparently this company believed in the no-nonsense approach to business. Christian appreciated that. He signed off quickly and began studying the safety manual. It seemed to mostly say to do everything the pilot said and stuff would turn out okay, unless you crashed. Crashing was bad. He resolved to not do anything at all except sit very quietly and hope they didn't crash. _I can't believe I'm letting Roy talk me into this. Flying, in a helicopter, that doesn't have a chance of gliding to a landing if something goes wrong, this is such a bad idea._

"Ready?" Stevenson and Roy asked at the same time, Roy already wearing the goofy looking helmet that Christian had been forewarned about. _Poor kid, obviously doesn't want to disappoint his friend, but he's got no idea what all this entails. _Christian donned the helmet Stevenson handed him and nodded. "Very well, board now, please." He hopped in and turned around to offer his hand to both of the guest flying along. "Now, we'll just buckle you in all nice'n'tight-like." Stevenson immediately suited actions to words after Christian managed to sit down in the chair. The helmet was, indeed, goofy.

"Thank you, Mr. Stevenson," Christian said as the other man turned away to seek the universal thumbs-up sign from his crewmate.

"You're welcome, Mr. Christian," Stevenson replied as he gave the all-clear signal for the pilots. "Good to go," He voiced over the microphone attached to his helmet. He received an affirmative reply and sat down to strap himself down. "And we're taking off as soon as we get clearance." He made one last visual check of Christian's straps while doing so. Noticing the young man's nervousness, he gave him a wide grin and a thumbs-up for encouragement. He didn't bother speaking, as he knew no reassurance would truly help at this point in time. He felt more than heard the engines begin powering up and watched out of the corner of his eye as the pilot and co-pilot continued to run through their extensive pre-flight safety check. "And here we go!" He shouted out over the headset with humor in his eyes and voice as Christian let out an unheard yelp as the blades spun up. The helicopter lifted off in short order after the pilot was satisfied with the safety check and all permissions had been cleared with both Sunyshore and registered with the League.

"I hate you, Roy!" Christian shouted, outrage writ plainly across his face as he looked at Roy. Of course Roy couldn't hear him, and choose to laugh in reply while waving off Christian's look.

Less than an hour later, as promised, they arrived at the League City with flair. The co-pilot grinned as they landed, shooting a look at the pilot before beginning the power down and post-flight safety checks. This was their last flight of the day, and he was eager to get some rack time. "Good one," the co-pilot complimented with real admiration.

"Thank you, please let the crew know our passengers may now debark," The pilot returned, his attention focused on his approaching break after he ensured _everything_ was taken care of for the safety of both the crew and the passengers.

"Well, time to go, Mr. Christian," Stevenson said, unbuckling Christian with steady hands and a grin on his face. Christian looked a little pale, but otherwise fine as he stepped off the helicopter with assistance from Stevenson.

"Thank you, Mr. Stevenson," Christian replied, handing the helmet back gladly and feeling his sadly rumpled hair. "A pleasure flying with you."

"And you, Mr. Christian. Hope you choose to fly with us again some time." Stevenson showed him to the exit of the pad and ensured that everything was in order with the League before departing.

"Well, what do you think, eh, Christian?" Roy asked, surprising Christian with his sudden question. _He's usually ready to kick my ass by now. Wonder what's eating him? Must've been the helicopter flight. Knew that would be a real kick._ It had been as close to quiet between the two as it could get with the noise of the people around them.

Christian was about to respond, somewhat angrily, before he noticed what Roy was pointing at, a large castle-looking structure that seemed to impose itself upon the landscape like a lord of the land. "Very impressive, though this whole flight by helicopter thing was unnecessary, and you could have at least _asked_," Christian declared somewhat despairingly.

"I know, I know, but you would never have agreed if I didn't guilt you into it!" Roy replied, shooting Christian a look that just _dared_ him to challenge that declaration. _I _knew_ it was the helicopter flight,_ Roy cheered himself mentally. _He's so calm and collected most of the time; it's good to see him shaken up so much. He needs a little more excitement in his life. _"Anyways, we're here now, so why don't we find a place to stay, alright? C'mon, cheer up, can't you feel it? We're in the place where the leaders of the Pokémon League in Sinnoh make their home; even the Champion is here a lot of the time!"

At the mention of the Champion and the League, Christian perked up a little, and held back his heated retort with an increasingly common display of restraint. "You're right, Roy. Thanks for this, I would never have agreed." Roy, of course, almost fell over from the shock of that.

"You feeling alright, Christian?" Roy asked. Didn't want Christian having a nervous breakdown right before the big event, not so close to what they dreamed of. _Especially not before I get to stomp him in front of the entire region in the tournament._

"No, I'm fine, but…don't you feel it?" Christian questioned. "We're here. Where dreams are achieved, shattered, or changed in monumental ways. Where legends are made and broken. I'm thinking that we should not be very worried about our little rivalry in the face of that, eh?"

"Yeah," Roy replied, a genuine smile on his face as he plucked a map of the city out of the numerous offerings in front of them at the airport. "Hey, how's this place look?" He pointed to a four-star hotel after searching for a while, which, from the guide, had generally high approval ratings and was reporting open spots for traveling trainers and business people. "Looks good."

"Yeah, I think so, too. Why don't you call and make reservations? I'll find us a place to eat." Christian took the map from Roy after ensuring that Roy had the number and had entered it correctly.

Christian easily found several well-known and highly recommended lunch restaurants with the use of the very helpfully titled "Places to Experience the Cuisine of Suzuran Island" list. "Hm, this place looks good," He mumbled to himself as he took note of the general pricing and availability of seats through use of his Poké Gear. He waited for Roy to wrap up making the reservations before saying anything. He never interrupted someone else's price negotiations if he could.

Roy, noticing his look, hung up and gave him a thumb-up and a grin, "We got lucky. They're all booked up, but trainers have a special hotel that they have access to for the tournament."

"Tournament?" Christian asked, sounding a little confused. He hadn't been keeping up with League news since he started his journey in Twinleaf Town. "There's a tournament here soon?"

"It's a tournament to win the right to challenge the Elite Four, doofus," Roy replied, eying Christian sidelong. The look on his face was priceless. Oh, what Roy wouldn't do for a camera right then.

"You mean I have to win a tournament to challenge the Elite Four after getting all eight badges!" Christian was shocked, to say the least. He hadn't known anything about that.

"Yes, doofus. Do you not remember anything about registering for the League with Professor Rowan right when you started your journey?" Roy shrugged, his face neutral as he explained everything to his somewhat clueless, for all his ability to research opponents, rival. "Your face." He finally allowed himself to crack a grin, but he didn't stop there. Once grinning, it turned into a chuckle, and then a full-blown laugh.

"Well, at least you reminded me about it before I went to the Elite Four themselves and made a damn fool of myself." Christian glared at Roy, deeply mortified by how embarrassingly he had reacted to Roy's teasing.

"Of course I wasn't going to let you do that." Roy replied. He tapped Christian on the shoulder and pointed ahead before Christian could react to the latest statement. "We're here."

Christian looked at where Roy was pointing, finally noticing the restaurant he was looking at. _Munchlax Bar and Grill_, it read. "Oh, well, it looks respectable." Christian, lacking anything else to say, and not much interested in Roy's reply, stared at the glass window of what looked like an electronics store beside him while Roy debated on whether or not to go finalize the reservations and eat later or eat now. He read the caption scrolling across the bottom of the screen slowly, his curiosity momentarily piqued.

"_Indications seem to be that organized crime, with groups like Team Rocket foremost among them, are rising in several regions around the world as of late. Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto all have been having trouble with keeping it contained, but the efforts of the Pokémon League along with the International Police, among others, have done some good in regard to keeping Sinnoh relatively violence free. In other news, seven people were killed last month in what investigators are calling a deliberate attack on the local electricity providers for the Kanto region-"_

"C'mon, Christian, what're you waiting for?" Roy asked, giving him a little shove toward the restaurant.

"Yeah, yeah. So, food first, eh?" Christian asked, already forgetting the news blurb h had just read. Wackos were always doing stupid things, anyways. No need to worry about it.

"Yeah, just realized I'm a little hungry," Roy replied, continuing to shove Christian toward the restaurant.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"Go?" A man in a dark suit questioned another, more mysterious man. His hair was a shocking blue, which was about the only remarkable thing about him, even his attitude seemed to say it was there to disappoint.

"Go," The man replied already drifting away down the alley. They had spent a bare few moments passing each other, no stop for conversation, no looks passed between each other.

"Well, alright, then," The man in the suit replied, pushing his glasses a little higher up on his face. "Begin preparations," He barely dared whisper into a Poké Gear he held near his mouth. A faint click was all he got in reply. The man smiled widely at that.

_

* * *

_

_With Christian..._

"That was fantastic," Roy announced, as both he and Christian left the restaurant.

"I agree, though the way they stared at us, it seems like they'd never seen trainers joking around before, or something." Okay, well, it hadn't really been friendly joking around, but Christian was morally certain that everyone there knew his threats to strangle Roy were completely in jest. "Thank you for explaining the tournament structure, by the way. You…really saved me a lot of trouble."

"Stop, you're going to embarrass me," Roy replied, rubbing the back of his head with free hand. "We need to go make sure we're all set for the tournament. Map says Registration and other services are here." Roy pointed to a building marked on the map with "PL Office" as the description. "Must mean Pokémon League Office," Roy mused.

"Then let's get there and ensure we're very thoroughly informed on what we need to do, then," Christian replied, still abashed by his stunning failure to remember the Championship Tournament.

"Roger that, Captain Christian," Roy replied, saluting playfully as he jogged ahead a few feet. "This way."

* * *

_With Lucian and Cynthia..._

"You're sure about this?" Lucian, a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, asked of Cynthia, champion of the same group. They stood in the castle that housed the Elite Four in one of the top floor rooms that had a beautiful view of Suzuran Island and the city at this time of day.

"Yes," Cynthia replied, serene as ever. She knew Lucian would continue to ask the question, but she didn't have the time to continually reassure him, but she knew that wasn't fair. He was taking on responsibilities for her that he shouldn't have had to, were the circumstances not so bad. "Lucian, it's alright. You'll manage without me for at least a little while. We can always hope they really aren't up to anything."

"…Right," Lucian replied, his skeptical tone of voice and raised eyebrow conveyed everything he thought about the chances of that being true. Team Galactic was up to something or the International Police wouldn't have come knocking quite so discretely.

"Allow me my small fantasy, Lucian." Cynthia seemed painfully aware of how little chance there was, but she refused to allow that to dampen her mood. "I'll leave after the tournament. Goodshow won't take no for an answer."

"Very well, and it's only two days that you have to put in an appearance at, try to relax while you can," Lucian replied, a slight bow of his head before he turned and walked away. Cynthia continued to stare out at the island as she heard the door click close behind her gently.

* * *

_With Christian and Roy..._

"So, if all goes well, I'll have five prelims and three full matches?" Christian asked, already planning eager to begin planning his strategy for his first opponent.

"In all likelihood, you'll be knocked out in the first battle," Roy replied, poking his friend and rival just a little more before giving up on getting a rise out of him. "But, yes, that should be what it takes to win."

"Eight battles, that's all I need to win to challenge them." Christian smiled slightly, his mind wandering into the future where he challenged the Elite Four. "We'll see how it goes."

"Yes, we will, speaking of battles, isn't yours the first of the tournament?" Roy really didn't want Christian to get flattened that soon, though he hadn't seen him battle in a while.

"It is, actually, which means I need to hit the 'net and find out what my opponent has, if he's listed, everything." Christian nodded, this time focused sharply on his objective. "Thanks for everything, Roy, I'll see you in the tournament." He offered his hand, a gesture of equality.

"Yeah, see you in the finals." Roy took Christian's hand and shook it quickly, before turning and continuing to walk down the hall toward his own room two floors up. Christian sighed and opened his room with the card he had been given.

"Well, this will be fun." He saw that he had a bed to himself, as well as one of the ubiquitous computers, plus a kitchen, and a nice terrace to view both the stadium and the city with. He logged onto the 'net with practiced ease, disdaining the use of the lower-floor lab, he had researched gym leaders and other trainers here many times before in solitude, and would do so here, as well. He had no interest in being randomly interrupted by nosy trainers. _Hm, Melissa Evington of Johto. Top sixty-four in the Silver Conference, top sixteen in the Ever Grande Conference. A water-type trainer. She's using Golduck, Floatzel, and a Gastrodon for our match. Well, that'll be interesting. _Christian chose his three Pokémon after much deliberation with himself, not only considering type advantages, but also whether or not she would surprise him with a dual-type or a non-water type. Torterra was a sure in, as well as Luxray, he'd go with Bronzong for his last selection, just to mix things up a little. "Might as well go associate with some of the others trainers. Not like there's much else to do, other than sleep, and it's just too early for that."Christian nodded to himself after checking his selections one final time, before walking out the door and closing it behind him with a solid thump.

* * *

_With Cynthia..._

Cynthia was tired, more like exhausted. Being Champion of the Pokémon League in Sinnoh was no easy task, especially since Sinnoh was so much larger and more administratively complex than other regions. She longed for the days of quiet researching that she dreamed of some times, but dismissed the fantasy as what it was. It would likely be years before she ever got the opportunity to retire from a more public life. She almost jumped when she heard the door open behind her, but managed to control her reaction before she made a fool of herself. She swiveled around in her chair to face whoever was coming into the lab from where she was reviewing the starting match-ups for the tournament tomorrow. "Ah, hello, Bertha. Something I can help you with?" She noticed Bertha seemed to be searching for someone, and, upon seeing Cynthia, had made no move to leave. _Wonder what she wants me for?_

"Ah, Cynthia, just the person I was looking for," Bertha approached Cynthia slowly, taking a seat at the computer across from her. "We need to tal-"

"Bertha, you know my opinions on that, and they're not changing until Galactic is dealt with," Cynthia responded a bit crossly. Bertha had approached Cynthia some time ago, a few months at the most, about retiring from the Elite Four. Cynthia had delayed because there was no one to take her place, and because there had been several pressing issues she needed to deal with.

"Yes, I know, which is why I want your word that you'll accept my retirement after you've dealt with this last situation, Cynthia." Bertha was tired, too. So many years of battling, so many years of active life, they hung upon her weary shoulders like the boulders of old mountains, weighing her every action down with fatigue. "No more delaying, Cynthia. I'm too old for this, but I'll hang on until you can deal with this last situation. It's time for something new, for all of us."

Cynthia was displeased. She really didn't want to lose Bertha's long experience so soon into her championship, and her tenure with the League. "Bertha…" Cynthia stopped, realizing how selfish she was being. If she was to be a real Champion, she was going to have to learn to let go of things when they needed to be let go. "…of course I will, Bertha. As soon as this last situation is done."

"I know you don't wa-," Bertha cut herself off with a look of surprise. "Glad you've finally seen sense, girl. I was afraid I was going to have to battle you for the right to retire." She let out a sharp laugh, full of relief." I don't think this old lady has it in her to take someone as powerful as you on anymore."

"Don't fool yourself, old woman. You've got some fight left in you." Cynthia's eyes twinkled with mirth. "And now I have to go deal with the five thousand and one other things that require a Champion's personal attention. You know how it is."

"Yes, good luck." Bertha nodded, a small smile on her face. She watched Cynthia leave, before standing herself and turning to leave. She noticed Cynthia had left the computer logged on, and decided to turn it off for her. It was a public access terminal, anyway. No reason to fear that private or secret information would be on it. What Cynthia had been studying caught her eye, though. _Ah, the tournament tomorrow. _She looked at the trainer, that small smile still fixed on her face. _Well, not like I have anything to do tomorrow, I might attend as well._ She studied both trainers' line-ups before nodding to herself. "Oh, this should be interesting."

* * *

_With Christian..._

Christian entered the lobby to the, to his mind, obscenely large hotel at a brisk pace. The place was full of people, mostly trainers, but there were also what looked like reporters and some League officials. There was also a big stir near the entrance to the hotel. He overheard several conversations about how opening ceremonies would go well this year. The Moltres Flame was under heavy guard to ensure there were no mistakes, especially because of the colder climate of Sinnoh in general. Unluckily for him, a reporter noticed his face and descended upon him like a Sharpedo eager for the story.

"Mr. Christian, am I right in thinking you're the one that will have the first battle of the Sinnoh Championship Tournament tomorrow?" The female reporter had a cameraman backing her up, and several people perked up with a small amount of interest after hearing that.

"Yes, that's correct," Christian replied, cool formality was the best bet when dealing with animals like reporters. "I'm also going to be the first winner of the tournament." Wouldn't do to let people think he wasn't confident, even overly so. Good to give them false impressions so they couldn't get a read on his attitude.

"My, that's a very confident statement, Mr. Christian, what makes you so certain?" The reporter knew getting a good story right now would determine whether or not she got to remain on the tournament scene. She didn't want any of her co-workers to take her spot.

"I'm confident, miss, but not so confident that I'll go about blabbing all my battle preparations on the evening news." Christian shrugged, a movement of either intense boredom or tiredness, though it flowed off him naturally, as if he had done this dozens of times.

"If we're reading this correctly, Mr. Christian, it says you're originally from Hoenn, and moved to Sinnoh after your father was killed in an accident at the Space Center in Mossdeep City?" The reporter smirked internally, little bastard should have given her something more to go on to lead into the evening with.

"Yes, that's correct. My father was very dedicated to his work, and his unfortunate death robbed my mother of the desire to help continue the adventure they started together." Christian's voice could have been chipped from ice; it was cold enough to make an Articuno proud. "We moved to Twinleaf Town because its climate and social life were more acceptable to my mother. I also enjoyed the area immensely. You should visit some time, it might improve your outlook on life and your consideration for the private lives of other people." With that brusque brush-off, he walked away from the camera with the reporter looking more than a little upset.

"You could have handled that better, you know," A voice said behind him as he walked out the door. "It was live, and you just made a fool out of her." Christian turned, a raised eyebrow his only comment on that declaration. "She was just looking for a good story. Newbie on the job, not sure how to handle herself at such a big event. Didn't have to embarrass her."

"Well, stranger, I don't know why you're bothering to tell me this, but my past is my past, and having it brought up on television isn't the most pleasant experience in the world." He stared at the older man in front of him with what patience he could muster, calming himself. "I apologize for my attitude, sir, but that was much unexpected, and unlooked for." He made a small bow at the end of this.

"Well, you can call me Mr. Goodshow, if you want," The older man replied, immensely surprising Christian with his introduction. He wondered why he hadn't recognized him instantly. "Just try to be a little more civil next time, eh?"

"Of course, sir, Mr. Goodshow, I mean, sir." Christian stumbled over himself several times before remaining silent, his face coloring up nicely.

"Very good, young Christian, very good, now, if you'll excuse me, things need to be done that require my attention, Ah, such is life." With this philosophical saying, Goodshow departed so quickly as to seemingly disappear.

"That was so odd," Christian voiced to thin air, his face a peculiar combination of embarrassment and realization. The he heard a voice he dreaded to hear again so soon.

"Christian, what're you doing out this late? Opening ceremonies are at six in the morning!" Roy almost ran over him in his haste to show Christian back inside. Christian didn't even have time to mention his brief, in the extreme, meeting with the Pokémon League chairman, such was Roy's haste. "You need to go to bed, don't want you making a fool of yourself by falling asleep on the field tomorrow."

Christian, however much he privately disagreed, didn't have the heart to argue against Roy's obvious show of care. "Fine, fine, I'll go to bed, and you should, as well. Big day tomorrow." Christian noticed that they had made it all the way back to his room on the second floor in the time it had taken to have such a short conversation. _That's been happening a lot today, time passes strangely when one's mind is on other matters._ He resolved to pay more attention to his immediate surroundings. "Goodnight, Roy." He waved Roy's advice off with a small smile on his face. "I've got it covered."

"Well, then, yeah, goodnight." Roy departed after that, his pace just short of a jog.

"So eager to be in the next place, never enjoying the now," Christian shrugged, noticing that Roy had neglected to close the door. "I swear, no manners." He shut it with a resounding slap. He thought about laying down immediately, but figured it would be useless to try so early. _Not like I'll be getting much sleep anyway. This tournament is going to be one of the defining moments of my life. Do I conquer, or do I fall to the way-side like most trainers inevitably do in their first?_ He laid out his badge case and his Poké Balls on the bed and simply stared at them for a while. _All this time, all this effort, and everything I've achieved so far is symbolized by such small objects. Well, not this time, I'll have a big honking trophy if I win this thing._ He smiled at that, the unexpected humor of the statement allaying his nervousness somewhat. _Then again, who wouldn't be nervous at a time like this? I'm just over thinking like I usually do. _He nodded to himself after a while longer contemplating the future the badges and Poké Balls represented, moving them back to their places in his bag. _Yes, I can do this. I will do this. Doesn't matter what they throw at me, I, with my Pokémon, will overcome._ Sleep came soon after that mental declaration, a welcome relief after such a busy day.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the ugly line-breaks. I'm not using weird ass symbols to break the story, though. Updates will be sporadic, at best. Until next time.


End file.
